Send us a Text Message.Why do African social workers believe that it is essential that local governments, foreign donors, and parents understand that children living in orphanages should be returned to family homes? Join us as we explore the profound journey and epic revelations of two social workers devoting their careers to making this change across the continent of Africa, starting with orphanages in their own country.  David Musa and Rosamund Palmer from the Child Reintegration Center (CRC) in Bo, Sierra Leone discuss the experience of change, and the unexpected areas of resistance, and what they find is behind it.  Discover the intricacies of how the CRC is reshaping child care by helping others do what the CRC did, moving away from institutional settings to nurturing family-based environments. David and Rosamund share their experiences training social workers, engaging orphanage directors, and advocating for an attachment-focused approach that fosters strong bonds with children returning to family homes.Our episode delves into the pivotal role of the Transition Coaching and Mentoring Department (TCM) at CRC. Learn about the power of mass media campaigns that educate communities on the benefits of family care and the harm caused by orphanages. Hear about the unique training workshop for media personnel that ensures accurate reporting on family reunification and child welfare, and why regular follow-ups, training, and mentorship are essential for organizations in transition. This discussion underscores the importance of relationship-building and trust in achieving successful transitions from orphanages to family homes.Finally, we address the significant challenges faced in transitioning from residential care institutions to family-centered care models, particularly in Sierra Leone. David and Rosamund discuss their strategy of local engagement to garner national government support and the CRC’s own discovery of how this change permits organizations to exponentially grow their impact. CRC supported 40 children in residential care, and for the same budget, are now able to support nearly 1600 children by strengthening 450 families. We call on American donors to rethink their contributions to orphanages and instead support family-based programs. Join us as we envision an orphanage-free Sierra Leone within five years and celebrate the optimism from institutions ready to adopt best practices for the betterment of children's lives.Helpingchildrenworldwide.org

Welcome to the first episode of Season 3 of the Optimistic Voices podcast of Helping Children Worldwide. We help children worldwide by strengthening and Empowering Families and communities. This podcast is for people interested in deep conversations with thought leaders in the field of child welfare, global health and international missions to the global South. Our special host for this episode is Kathleen Pfohl, the maternal health mission graduate intern with Helping Children Worldwide., along with guests Josephine Garnem,  Executive Director of Healy International Relief Foundation and Dr. Mariama Massaquoi, co-founder of Tenki for Born, which she runs together with her siblings as a way for members of the diaspora to recognize and give back to the communities where their families and ancestors were born. Dr. Masaquoi is a family medicine doctor based in Virginia. Mariama, and a guest on a prior episode of Optimistic Voices, where she discussed the Mission of Tenki for Born. Tenki for Born is dedicated to alleviating maternal mortality. Helping Children Worldwide, Healy International and Tenki are members of Together for Global Health, a professional Network convened by Helping Children Worldwide and managed by Yasmine Vaughan, Helping Children Worldwide's Technical Advisor for Global Health and Missions. During January 2024, the together for Global health network members are hosting a maternal health conference in Sierra Leone, West Africa, training midwives and nurses and focused on creating a cadre of well-trained practitioners who can train others locally in order to sustain the educational impact of the conference, improve continuity of care and capacity of local providers. The training builds on training provided by CHASL in 2023 and is the first collaboration of a long term plan for training missions to Sierra Leone to bring the educational efforts to every community and region in the country.The conference outcomes will inform future collaborative endeavors, through monitoring, evaluation and collaborative research on long term impacts of the training.Helpingchildrenworldwide.org

 At our Rising Tides conference in March, Dr. Carol McIntosh presented on being a giver and a receiver of medical missions. Dr. Carol McIntosh was born in Brooklyn, NY although her family roots are based in Carriacou, Grenada. She graduated from Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction and obtained her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical School in 1987. Dr. McIntosh is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist and is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. For many years, Dr McIntosh has served in medical missions to Grenada, the Eastern Caribbean, and Sierra Leone; with the latter working as a board member of Helping Children Worldwide (HCW). In June 2008, Dr. McIntosh was awarded the medal of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) by Queen Elizabeth for her work in Grenada. From October 2018 to 2022, Dr. McIntosh served as the Director of Hospital Services with the Ministry of Health and Social Security in Grenada; overseeing 4 hospitals and one Nursing Home. Returning to the US in 2022, Dr. McIntosh remains on the board of HCW while working as an attending physician at InovaCares Clinic for Women in Alexandria and Falls Church, providing prenatal and gynecologic care for uninsured and low-income individuals in Northern Virginia. Dr. Carol’s session featured case studies of Sierra Leone and Grenada and provided an examination of the motives of governments, NGOs, individuals, and other providers of global health services and humanitarian aid, as well as the perspective of how these services are received. So, I’m going to share part minutes of her session from Rising Tides, and then in the next episode Dr. Carol and are going to continue this conversation. Helpingchildrenworldwide.org

Yasmine Vaughan shares another incredible breakout session from HCW’s Rising Tides 2023 Together for Global Health.This informative session on the practice of midwifery in low to middle income countries was conducted by Jennifer Stevens.Midwifery centers are a community-based approach to addressing maternal mortality by increasing access to quality care that strengthens health systems, provides an enabling environment for midwifery and eases the burdens on hospital beds by providing right-sized care.  Learn more about this approach, and why it is important.  Jennifer Stevens has worked globally for over 10 years.  Beginning in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, she supported work in Mexico, Peru, Haiti, Niger, Namibia, and much of South Asia with WHO, UNFPA and her NGO, Goodbirth Network. She completed her doctorate in public health, focusing on maternal health in LMIC, specifically midwifery centers as enabling environments for midwifery care.  From 2018-2020, she lived and worked in Bangladesh with UNFPA on their Strengthening National Midwifery Program.  She is co-founder of Good Birth Network (GBN), focusing on a global network of midwifery centers in low resource areas.  Their mission is to support the growth of high quality midwifery centers through standards, education, networking and data collection.  GBN is currently piloting the first accreditation program for midwifery centers in LMICs.  Helpingchildrenworldwide.org

Host Yasmine Vaughan is joined by the Rising Tides Global Health conference support Intern, Tanatswa Sambana to share tidbits of interest they gleaned from the expert presentations at the Rising Tides 2023: Together for Global Health conference, which was held in Washington, DC on March 3-4 2023.  Over the course of a day and a half, conference speakers shared a wealth of information on sustainable practices to care for the most vulnerable, including community participatory practices, and international partnerships to train local communities. Their presentations focused on different ways that organizations can contribute to building a strong healthcare system.  Tanatswa or “T" as we call him at Helping Children Worldwide, is a Master of Public Health candidate at George Washington University. T is interested in utilizing data-driven approaches to positively impact social determinants of health on a national and global level. Tanatswa is passionate about reducing disparities and improving community and global health outcomes. He is skilled in policy analysis, monitoring and evaluation, and project management, and can use and implement design thinking methodologies. Please check out our other podcast episodes pertaining to global health and the Together for Global Health 2023 conference.Helpingchildrenworldwide.org